Bring Me The Horizon – POST HUMAN: NeX GEn (Album Review)
Bring Me The Horizon – POST HUMAN: NeX GEn
Released: May 24, 2024
Lineup:
Oli Sykes | Vocals
Lee Malia | Guitar
Matt Kean | Bass
Matt Nicholls | Drums
Online:
Bring Me The Horizon put on a stellar tour across Australia last month. Throughout the shows, however, there was a feeling and tease of something more. A wipe of social media, and cryptic show recaps had fans easter egg hunting for any hint of future music from the band. After all the second entry in the Post Human saga and sequel to Post Human: Survival Horror had been delayed indefinitely since it’s originally scheduled release in September 2023. Suddenly a trailer dropped announcing the imminent release date of the highly anticipated album. It was mere hours away, as the album was shadow-dropped on streaming services at midnight local time! Fans were whipped into a frenzy (including myself) as I prepared to absorb POST HUMAN: NeX GEn. Was the wait for the next record from arguably one of the biggest bands in the world worth it?
‘[ost]dreamseeker‘ serves as a short and simple album intro as the listener is welcomed to the record via ‘YOUtopia‘. A familiar-sounding drum introduction and a quick start to Oli Sykes’ vocals quickly flow into an instantly catchy and prominent guitar riff. The lighter tones are very much what I expected from this outing, giving a poppy vibe while remaining very BMTH. The second verse incorporates some chill bass and harmonies and reminds me of amo a little bit. I love that this saga has brought back Oli’s heavier side (as evident throughout the bridge) while still retaining the poppier lighter-hearted direction that is intended with this release.
Latest single ‘Kool-Aid‘ features solid instrumental focus, particularly in Lee Malia’s guitar melodies and post-breakdown solo. The ramp-up to a musical onslaught of noise and classic Oli vocals (screams and singing) alike help this track to hit hard. The chorus is catchy as hell, and the layered breakdown is incredibly fun. I could do without the extended outro, but that’s just me. Lighter-tuned guitars take hold alongside effects and samples as the listener jumps into ‘Top 10 staTues tHat CriEd bloOd‘. I think this chorus is going to land with fans, as I already find myself singing along to “No one’s gonna come and rescue me …”. The verses are appropriately busy, featuring layered screams and singing which showcase how far their songwriting has come. The sample-focused bridge and electronics and blistering fast drum-infused breakdown courtesy of Matt Nicholls help to solidify this track as one of the album highlights.
‘liMOusIne (feat. AURORA)‘ is one of the more surprising albums on the track. The band venture into very new territory here and I think it pays off. This is a slower-paced and chuggier (as far as Bring Me are concerned) track which suits AURORA‘s feature. The atmosphere in this track is thick with 2000s-era influences, and both vocalists add to this individually and as a duo. The experimentation here is interesting, even if it doesn’t click with me 100%. However, I appreciate the heaviest moments of the release in the last twenty seconds of this track. Groovy alt-rockish single ‘DArkSide‘ follows, integrating more radio rock-esque singalongs, ramping guitars and catchy chorus’ into the album’s soundscape. ‘a bulleT w- my namE On‘ incorporates some of these elements too, with an added heavier element. This is expressed mostly through tough guitars and fast-paced screams in the second verse, which also feature recently controversial lyric “If Jesus Christ returns we’ll just kill that fucker twice”. A spooky outro and gunshot transition into the first interlude, ‘[ost] (spi)ritual‘.
Cult-like murmuring among dark electronics are cut off at the interlude’s conclusion for the next round of Bring Me The Horizon experimentation in the form of ‘n/A‘. Oli steps into the (possibly familiar) shoes of an addict attending Narcotics Anonymous, recounting their thoughts and telling their story in a group circle. The early instrumentals lend themselves to a moody indie rock vibe, but this song slowly begins to include all of the band fundamentals. The group vocals that have been recorded live at shows – “Hello Oli you fucking knobhead. Did you think you had us fooled” make their appearance as the instrumentals turn up a notch. Nicholls’ drums and Lee’s electric guitars begin their output and an upbeat rendition of the chorus is a bop. The third chorus is different yet again, before an instrumental crescendo in the outro. Singles ‘LosT‘ and ‘sTraNgeRs‘ are up next. Hyperpoppy and stylistic instrumentals in ‘LosT‘ alongside some of the most fun choruses the band have written to date across both songs ensure these tracks remain highlights on this release.
‘RIP (duskCOre RemIx)‘ feels like the most processed track of the album. There are multiple samples and effects applied throughout, ensuring the hyperpoppy vibes continue. Far from what I generally expect and prefer from a band, this track is a catchy bundle of fun. Familiar single ‘AmEN!‘ is up next, featuring some of the heavier elements and influences the band are known for alongside killer features from Lil Uzi Vert and Darl Palumbo. This track proved a departure from the alt-rock style singles beforehand and solidifies itself on the album as a further showcase of the range that the band can ultimately cover.
Second interlude ‘[ost] puss-e‘ is a simple fast-paced hyper-electronic buffer before the single ‘DiE4u‘. When this pop jam came out it took a while to grow on me, but now it’s quickly become one of my favorite Bring Me The Horizon tracks. It’s so lovely to sing along too and I lose myself every time I give it a spin.
Album closer ‘DIg It‘ is a weird one. There’s a true sense of scale and ambience that the band convey that I really enjoy. However, the outro consists of an abrupt silence for a couple of minutes before the character that accompanied us throughout the album signs us off. I’m not generally the biggest fan of that technique, but I understand that Bring Me The Horizon are simply expanding the narrative they’re trying to tell. As a song though, it loses me in the end.
Bring Me The Horizon are a band that are known to be constantly evolving. They have to for their sanity, so they can keep playing and making the music they want to play. Despite all the experimentation they attempt, they continuously create work that is identifiably theirs. POST HUMAN: NeX GEn is a quintessential Bring Me The Horizon experience and undoubtedly one of their most inventive and diverse records to date.
Bring Me The Horizon – POST HUMAN: NeX GEn Tracklisting:
1. [ost] dreamseeker
2. YOUtopia
3. Kool-Aid
4. Top 10 staTues tHat CrieEd bloOd
5. liMOsIne (feat. AURORA)
6. DArkSide
7. a bulleT w- my namE On
8. [ost] (spi)ritual
9. n/A
10. LosT
11. sTraNgeRs
12. Rip (duskCOre RemIx)
13. AmEN! (feat. Lil Uzi Vert, Daryl Palumbo & Glassjaw)
14. [ost] puss-e
15. DiE4u
16. DIg It
Rating: 9.5/10
POST HUMAN: NeX GEn is out May 24th. Get your copy here here.
Review by Tyler Lubke.